1989 Chicago Bears season

1989 Chicago Bears season
Owner	Virginia Halas McCaskey
Head coach	Mike Ditka
Home stadium	Soldier Field
Results
Record	6–10
Division place	4th NFC Central
Playoffs	Did not qualify
←  1988 Bears seasons 1990  →

The Chicago Bears played their 70th regular season in the National Football League (NFL) in 1989. This for first time since 1981 Jim McMahon was not on the opening day roster he was traded to San Diego Chargers in offseason. The Bears were looking to win the NFC Central for a sixth consecutive season, but instead finished with a 6–10 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1983. The Bears’ offseason moves prior to this season had consequences for years afterward as the pieces from Super Bowl XX’s team slowly began to leave or retire.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1989 NFL draft

1989 Chicago Bears draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	11	Donnell Woolford *	Safety	Clemson	from L. A. Raiders
1	12	Trace Armstrong *	Defensive end	Florida	from Washington
2	36	John Roper	Linebacker	Texas A&M
2	54	Dave Zawatson	Guard	California
3	65	Jerry Fontenot	Center	Texas A&M
4	95	Markus Paul	Defensive back	Syracuse
5	130	Mark Green	Running back	Notre Dame
5	136	Greg Gilbert	Linebacker	Alabama
7	189	Richard Brothers	Defensive back	Arkansas
7	192	Brent Snyder	Quarterback	Utah State
8	216	Tony Woods	Defensive tackle	Oklahoma
8	221	Chris Dyko	Tackle	Washington State
9	243	LaSalle Harper	Linebacker	Arkansas
9	248	Byron Sanders	Running back	Northwestern
10	270	Todd Millikan	Tight end	Nebraska
10	277	John Simpson	Wide receiver	Baylor
11	297	Joe Nelms	Defensive tackle	California
11	304	George Streeter	Defensive back	Notre Dame
12	330	Freddy Weygand	Wide receiver	Auburn
12	333	Anthony Phillips	Guard	Oklahoma
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[1]

Undrafted free agents

1989 undrafted free agents of note

Player	Position	College
Sammie Archer	Wide receiver	Oregon
Alex Armenteros	Defensive back	Bethune–Cookman
Bryan Bero	Fullback	Utah
Tony Buford	Wide receiver	Indiana
John Budde	Defensive end	Michigan State
James Coley	Tight end	Clemson
Matt Gurley	Fullback	Texas A&M
Eric Hoffman	Linebacker	Western Michigan
Mike Husar	Guard	Michigan
Steve Hyche	Linebacker	West Alabama
Garrett Limbrick	Fullback	Oklahoma State
Randy Marriott	Wide receiver	North Carolina
Mike McCabe	Punter	Illinois State
Pat Ray	Defensive back	Missouri
Mike Sellar	Wide receiver	UC Davis
Don Shrader	Guard	Indiana
Kent Sullivan	Punter	California Lutheran
Chad Sydnor	Defensive back	Maryland
Brian Taylor	Fullback	Oregon State
Tom Waddle	Wide receiver	Boston College

Staff

1989 Chicago Bears staff

Front office Chairman of the board – Ed McCaskey President and chief executive officer – Michael McCaskey Vice president of player personnel – Bill Tobin Assistant director of player personnel – Rod Graves Research and quality control – Jim Dooley Head coaches Head coach – Mike Ditka Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Greg Landry Running backs – Johnny Roland Wide receivers – Vic Rapp Offensive line – Dick Stanfel

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Vince Tobin Defensive line – John Levra Linebackers – Dave McGinnis Defensive backs – Jim LaRue Special teams coaches Special teams/tight ends – Steve Kazor

Roster

1989 Chicago Bears roster
	Quarterbacks  4 Jim Harbaugh 18 Mike Tomczak Running backs 35 Neal Anderson 31 Mark Green 25 Brad Muster FB 20 Thomas Sanders KR 26 Matt Suhey FB 27 Brian Taylor Wide receivers 82 Wendell Davis 29 Dennis Gentry KR 88 Glen Kozlowski 85 Dennis McKinnon PR 84 Ron Morris 87 Tom Waddle Tight ends 86 Cap Boso 80 James Thornton		Offensive linemen 62 Mark Bortz G 74 Jim Covert T 68 Chris Dyko T 67 Jerry Fontenot C 63 Jay Hilgenberg C 57 Tom Thayer G 78 Keith Van Horne T 73 John Wojciechowski T 64 Dave Zawatson G Defensive linemen 93 Trace Armstrong DE 94 Dick Chapura DT 95 Richard Dent DE 76 Steve McMichael DT 75 John Shannon DE 65Tony WoodsDE		Linebackers 92 Troy Johnson OLB 53 Dante Jones MLB 52 Mickey Pruitt OLB 59 Ron Rivera OLB 55 John Roper OLB 50 Mike Singletary MLB Defensive backs 22 Dave Duerson SS 23 Shaun Gayle FS 24 Vestee Jackson CB 43 Lorenzo Lynch CB 36 Markus Paul FS 30 George Streeter SS 49 David Tate SS 21 Donnell Woolford CB Special teams  8 Maury Buford P  6 Kevin Butler K		Reserve lists 37 Maurice Douglass CB (IR) 99 Dan Hampton DT (IR) 58 Steve Hyche LB (IR) 51 Jim Morrissey LB (IR) 60 Steve O'Malley DT (IR) 72 William Perry DT (IR) 32 Lemuel Stinson CB (IR) Practice squad 33 Bryan Bero FB 89 James Coley TE 12 Brent Snyder QB 47 active, 7 inactive, 3 practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 10	Cincinnati Bengals	W 17–14	1–0	Soldier Field	64,730
2	September 17	Minnesota Vikings	W 38–7	2–0	Soldier Field	66,475
3	September 24	at Detroit Lions	W 47–27	3–0	Pontiac Silverdome	71,418
4	October 2	Philadelphia Eagles	W 27–13	4–0	Soldier Field	66,625
5	October 8	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 35–42	4–1	Tampa Stadium	72,077
6	October 15	Houston Oilers	L 33–28	4–2	Soldier Field	64,383
7	October 23	at Cleveland Browns	L 7–27	4–3	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	78,722
8	October 29	Los Angeles Rams	W 20–10	5–3	Soldier Field	65,506
9	November 5	at Green Bay Packers	L 13–14	5–4	Lambeau Field	56,556
10	November 12	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 20–0	6–4	Three Rivers Stadium	56,505
11	November 19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 31–32	6–5	Soldier Field	63,826
12	November 26	at Washington Redskins	L 14–38	6–6	RFK Stadium	50,044
13	December 3	at Minnesota Vikings	L 16–27	6–7	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	60,664
14	December 10	Detroit Lions	L 17–27	6–8	Soldier Field	52,650
15	December 17	Green Bay Packers	L 28–40	6–9	Soldier Field	44,781
16	December 24	at San Francisco 49ers	L 0–26	6–10	Candlestick Park	60,207

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1 vs Bengals

Week One: Cincinnati Bengals (0–0) at Chicago Bears (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	7	0	7	0	14
Bears	0	7	3	7	17

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Date: September 10
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
• Game attendance: 64,730
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
• Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter CIN – James Brooks 4-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick), 9:52. Bengals 7–0. Second quarter CHI – Mike Tomczak 11-yard run (Kevin Butler kick), 0:10. Tie 7–7. Third quarter CIN – Ickey Woods 5-yard run (Jim Breech kick), 8:28. Bengals 14–7. CHI – Kevin Butler 29-yard field goal, 11:40. Bengals 14–10. Fourth quarter CHI – James Thornton 20-yard pass from Mike Tomczak (Kevin Butler kick), 10:06. Bears 17–14. Top passers CIN – Boomer Esiason – 18/36, 184 yards, TD CHI – Mike Tomczak – 10/24, 159 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers CIN – James Brooks – 13 rushes, 88 yards CHI – Neal Anderson – 21 rushes, 146 yards Top receivers CIN – James Brooks – 5 receptions, 46 yards, TD CHI – James Thornton – 4 receptions, 86 yards, TD

Week 2 vs Minnesota Vikings

Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	7	0	0	7
Bears	7	3	0	28	38

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Date: September 17, 1989
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Overcast, 62 °F (17 °C)
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers MIN – Wade Wilson – 24/42, 253 yards, TD, 4 INT CHI – Mike Tomczak – 10/26, 142 yards, TD, INT Top rushers MIN – Alfred Anderson – 5 rushes, 25 yards CHI – Neal Anderson – 23 rushes, 97 yards, 2 TD Top receivers MIN – Anthony Carter – 6 receptions, 80 yards CHI – Neal Anderson – 3 receptions, 58 yards, TD

Week 3: at Detroit Lions

Week 3: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	10	10	13	14	47
Lions	0	13	7	7	27

at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan

• Date: September 24, 1989
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 71,418
• TV announcers (CBS): Tim Brant and Dan Jiggetts
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CHI – Kevin Butler 21-yard field goal, 7:44. Chicago 3–0 Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards. CHI – Brad Muster 6-yard rush (Kevin Butler kick good), 1:13. Chicago 10–0 Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards. Second quarter DET – Barry Sanders 3-yard rush (Eddie Murray kick good), 10:52. Chicago 10–7 Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards. CHI – Dennis McKinnon 40-yard pass from Mike Tomczak (Kevin Butler kick good), 9:13. Chicago 17–7 Drive: 3 plays, 78 yards. DET – Eddie Murray 40-yard field goal, 6:27. Chicago 17–10 Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards. CHI – Kevin Butler 22-yard field goal, 1:58. Chicago 20–10 Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards. DET – Eddie Murray 48-yard field goal, 0:27. Chicago 20–13 Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards. Third quarter CHI – Neal Anderson 53-yard rush (Kevin Butler kick good), 12:31. Chicago 27–13 Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards. DET – Bob Gagliano 1-yard rush (Eddie Murray kick good), 10:01. Chicago 27–20 Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards. CHI – Kevin Butler 25-yard field goal, 4:15. Chicago 30–20 Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards. CHI – Kevin Butler 32-yard field goal, 0:54. Chicago 33–20 Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards. Fourth quarter CHI – Brad Muster 3-yard pass from Mike Tomczak (Kevin Butler kick good), 6:00. Chicago 40–20 Drive: 3 plays, 10 yards CHI – Jim Harbaugh 1-yard rush (Kevin Butler kick good), 3:46. Chicago 47–20 Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards. DET – Bob Gagliano 1-yard rush (Eddie Murray kick good), 1:59. Chicago 47–27 Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards. Top passers CHI – Mike Tomczak – 17/25, 302 yards, 2 TD DET – Bob Gagliano – 9/19, 126 yards, 3 INT Top receivers CHI – Dennis McKinnon – 3 receptions, 62 yards, TD DET – Richard Johnson – 4 receptions, 62 yards Top rushers CHI – Neal Anderson – 16 rushes, 116 yards, TD DET – Barry Sanders – 18 rushes, 126 yards, TD

Week 9 at Green Bay Packers

Week 9: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	3	0	10	0	13
Packers	7	0	0	7	14

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: November 5, 1989
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Overcast, 47 °F (8 °C)
• Referee: Tom Dooley
• TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CHI – Jim Harbaugh – 16/30, 203 yards GB – Don Majkowski – 23/40, 299 yards, 2 TDs, INT Top rushers CHI – Neal Anderson – 15 rushes, 58 yards GB – Brent Fullwood – 10 rushes, 38 yards Top receivers CHI – Brad Muster – 6 receptions, 68 yards GB – Brent Fullwood – 2 receptions, 76 yards

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Minnesota Vikings (3)	10	6	0	.625	6–2	8–4	362	356	W1
Green Bay Packers	10	6	0	.625	5–3	10–4	362	275	W2
Detroit Lions	7	9	0	.438	4–4	6–6	312	364	W5
Chicago Bears	6	10	0	.375	2–6	4–8	358	377	L6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	11	0	.313	3–5	5–7	320	419	L4

External links

1. "1989 Chicago Bears Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2022.

• 1989 Chicago Bears at Pro Football Reference